Elmont Clown Company Facing Lawsuit From Former Employee Over Gas, Tips And Overtime Payments

ELMONT, NY — The Elmont-based clown entertainment company clowns.com is being sued by a former employee who claims the clown company did not pay him overtime, tips, travel and other expenses that should have been covered by the company.

In a lawsuit, Queens resident Henry Baltz alleges that he worked for the clown company between May of 2023 and July of 2026, with duties that included performing at multiple birthday parties per day and picking up his fellow performers in a company car to drive them to the company’s offices in Elmont where they could pick up supplies needed for performances.

Clowns.com and Baltz’s attorneys did not respond to requests for comment on this story Monday.

Those transportation hours, Baltz’s complaint alleges, went unpaid for the duration of his time with the company. Initially, Baltz’s complaint reads, the company did not have a regular payday schedule and paid out performers by Venmo or Zelle. Even after a weekly pay schedule was implemented, however, Baltz claims in his suit that the company had employees clock in at the office, leaving his hours transporting coworkers to the office unpaid.

Furthermore, Baltz’s complaint alleges that the company did not pay out tips in a timely manner, and on one occasion did not pay out tips earned in early May until July of the same year. On some occasions, Baltz said in his complaint, the tips were not paid out at all.

On other occasions, Baltz said, his former employer failed to pay for gas, parking and towing costs that he had incurred during the course of his work, and deducted the cost of a ticket from his paycheck.

While no dollar amount is listed in Baltz’s suit, the Queens resident’s complaint said that he was seeking “An award of damages, according to proof, including liquidated damages, to be paid by” his former employers and their co-defendants.